Welcome to the tenth year of Our Voices Festival of Boston Area Women Playwrights this Saturday night! I'm excited for you to join us at 6:30 p.m. in the Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre, Wellesley College - here's why:

·      Our theme is Theatre as a Medium for Social Change

·      Ten Boston area women playwrights will present monologues or short plays

·      You’ll experience diverse female protagonists in dramatic roles

·      True Story Theater will perform audience responses in our “Act II” following the plays

·      We’re celebrating our 10th anniversary of nourishing Boston area women playwrights

·      It’s FREE & open to the public!

In producing this tenth year celebration, I've been inspired by Diane Paulus and the A.R.T. I've selected a theme: Theatre as a Medium for Social Change. After attending the A.R.T.'s production of Eve Ensler's In the Body of the World last spring, I was deeply moved by Diane's commentary published in WBUR's Cognocenti in July 2016: It's Time To Merge Art And Audience In Quest For Social Change from her address to the Americans for the Arts convention in Boston shortly after the murders in Orlando, in which she speaks about the relationship between art "and the world beyond the stage":

In this year's evening Our Voices staged readings, ten Boston area women playwrights will present monologues or short plays, including: Andrea Fleck Clardy, Deniz Khateri, Hortense Gerardo, Griffen Hoyle, Ann Marie Shea, Phyllis Rittner, Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro, Kelly DuMar, Johanna Skouras, and Lida McGirr.

You’ll experience diverse female protagonists in dramatic roles. For instance, in Hijab, a 10-minute play by Andrea Fleck Clardy, you’ll witness an encounter between the most popular girl in her high school and one of the few Muslim students who wears a head scarf and was the focus of an internet joke. Focusing on our theme of theater as a medium for social change, Andrea says in her Artist Statement:

How Our “Act II” Involves You

As the founder and producer of Our Voices, I’ve always sought to have the festival promote cultural change to bring more diverse stories to the stage by women. I’m originally a psychotherapist trained in applied theatre as a therapeutic modality. As a healer and a playwright, I’m a passionate believer that everyone’s story is deeply meaningful and telling it can lead to personal and societal transformation. So, this year we'll include an "Act II" in the festival, inspired once again by Diane Paulus and the A.R.T.'s vision:

So, in the service of involving the audience, I've invited True Story Theater to perform audience responses in our “Act II” following the plays

About True Story Theater

The festival is held in The Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre, through the generosity of Wellesley College, which is located in Alumnae Hall, Wellesley College, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA. There is free parking and the theatre is wheelchair accessible. For more information, contact Kelly DuMar at (508) 647-0596 or e-mail kellydumar@gmail.com.